


Save Me

by MissFrostFire



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Butterflies, Character Death, Crying, Episode: s06e16 Fragments, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Steven Universe Future, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:40:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23583991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissFrostFire/pseuds/MissFrostFire
Summary: What if Steven never managed to heal Jasper? What would happen next?
Relationships: Lars Barriga & Steven Universe
Comments: 9
Kudos: 151





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 'Ello there, and welcome to my first Steven Universe fanfic. This piece is heavily inspired by Candy Jewel's video “Shattered” - (SUF -Fragments Animation), and AeroArtwork's video Steven Universe Future: Fragments Alternate Ending. I suggest that you check them both out as they are really nice animations. I also tried to put my own spin on things (as you've probably noticed already from the tags). I hope that you'll enjoy this.

The clouds loomed overhead as thunder rumbled. Steven looked on until the dust settled over nothing but a pile of rocks. The teenager grinned and planted his feet on the ground. He approached the destruction he'd caused as the feeling of victory filled his being. He placed a foot atop a stone and let out a loud, drawn-out _whoo_.

“ _How_ does it feel, Jasper?! _Who_ is the weak one now?”

There was no answer.

“Hello?” He scratched the back of his head, finding the lack of a response a bit unsettling. _'Did I–? Did I poof her?'_

Curiously, Steven reached over to remove some of the debris. It took little time or effort until he saw a glimpse of the orange quartz. He let out a laugh of disbelief.

“I actually poofed you?” The teenager couldn't believe it, and yet, the proof was right in front of him. “Wow!” He stretched out his arm to remove the stone still stuck on top of Jasper. “I guess that I'll have to thank you after you–“

Steven's words cut off when he lifted the rock, and the gem fell onto the ground in pieces. A gasp left his lips as he fell backwards. He sat there, frozen and staring. It couldn't be. He must be dreaming, right? Yeah, this must be a terrible nightmare.

The teenager let his hand find his cheek and pinched it hard. He winced at the pain, closing his eyes briefly. When he refocused on the ground, his heart dropped back down into his stomach. The terrible sight in front of him hadn't changed.

Steven couldn't move. His breathing became erratic as his body trembled. There's– There's no way he– No. He couldn't have. And yet, the image persisted.

The rain that had threatened to fall for the past hour finally did. Along with it, came another rumble of thunder that resounded through the clouds. The noise tore into the teenager and startled him back into reality.

“No!” Steven scrambled to sit up and reached for the shards. _'I didn't just– There's no way I–'_ But the image of the broken quartz did not change. He took a breath. _'It's okay– I can fix this!'_

The teenager placed each piece back together with care. He licked his finger once it looked whole enough and touched it. Nothing happened. The shards fell apart, unable to hold its form any longer. The sight made something inside Steven twist around as tears formed and ran down his cheeks.

“No... No!” He hastily stood up and grabbed his jacket. He needed to get back home. He _must_ fix it.

…

The rain fell harshly from the darkened sky. Steven barely felt the droplets or the cold wind that tried to get his attention. His legs burned from running, but he pushed through despite the uncomfortable sensation. He couldn't stop. He _needed_ to get back home.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long until he arrived at the house. He hurried up the steps and pushed the door open. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst jumped at his sudden entrance. They tried to speak to him, but he couldn't afford to get distracted.

Not now. Not yet.

Steven went towards the bathroom and locked the door. He approached the bathtub to turn on the water. Next, he opened the cabinet above the sink and gathered up the three bottles only to dump them into the clear liquid. The teenager took a step back as the water changed colours. He pulled out his clenched fist from the jacket pocket and unfurled it. The orange shards lay across his palm. Carefully, he put them back together as he'd done earlier.

“Please. Please let this work.”

Steven wrapped both of his hands around the broken gem and dipped it into the water. The tears from earlier resurfaced as he apologized and begged for Jasper to come back. Nothing happened.

“Please!”

The word echoed between the tiled walls of the bathroom. After a few minutes of silence, he cracked an eye open. The water swirled with the colours of blue, yellow, white, and pink. However, the orange quartz between his hands didn't light up. It remained in pieces.

“No...” Steven couldn't breathe. “No!” He couldn't move. “NO!”

The teenager's body lit up in bright pink as a wave of power surged through him, and a loud shattering filled his ears. He wouldn't be surprised if it were the sound of his heartbreaking. He let out sobs and apologies tumbled out of his mouth. Too soon, he was interrupted by an insistent knock on the door.

“Steven! Are you okay?! What's happening?”

The gems. He couldn't see them like this. He couldn't let them know what he'd done. Despite the exhaustion coursing through his body and soul, Steven stood up. He left through the wide-open, broken window. The rain felt like pellets hitting his skin as he floated away from the house. He didn't have a destination in mind as he ultimately left Beach City. He just needed to escape.

…

Funnily enough, he ended up in the middle of the Gem Battlefield. The weather had let up quite a bit since he arrived. The rain had stopped entirely, and clouds parted to reveal an orange sky. Steven strolled through the fields of strawberries until he reached the place where he had once comforted Pearl. The view was still as beautiful as ever. It did little to lift his mood, though.

Reluctantly, Steven uncurled his fist for the second time that day. The shards of Jasper glinted in the remnants of the sunlight. It looked so beautiful.

The teenager collapsed onto the ground. He felt exhausted. His body was no longer able to support him. Many feelings coursed through his being. Sadness. Rage. Guilt. Disgust. How could he have been so stupid? So _blind_? If it weren't for him, Jasper would still be–

He glanced back at the shards that had spilt onto the ground. Jasper.

“I'm sorry.”

Steven knew that it wouldn't help matters. Not any more. Still, he didn't know what else to say. What else could sum up how he feels? How sorry? How pathetic? How useless? He shook his head and refocused on the pieces.

What should he do now? What _could_ he even do? The teenager had no idea. He couldn't go back home because of the gems. They would ask questions. He could try to avoid them, but not for long. Eventually, their patience would run out. He also couldn't go to Connie. She was great, but he didn't want to bother her. She had enough stuff on her plate. His dad was also out of the question. He wouldn't ask any prying questions, but Steven couldn't fathom being around him after he'd– After he'd–

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. No, this was his problem. An issue that he couldn't fix. He'd been too naïve to think that everything could be solved. If only he'd not gone to Jasper for help. Then she would still be around. She wouldn't be–

The tears built back up even though he didn't have the energy to cry any more. Yet, he let them fall and dug a hole into the ground with his fingers. He didn't make it big, only enough for the shards to fit in it. He looked away as he covered the pieces of the orange quartz. He smoothed out the soil once nothing but dirt remained.

Once he'd finished the shallow burial, Steven didn't know what to do. If he couldn't go anywhere, then what did that leave him with? That's right, not a thing. It suited him. He had nobody and had become nothing. It fit him perfectly. However, he knew that it wouldn't take long until the gems or someone else found him. He didn't want that to happen. For once, he wished that he could just disappear without a trace.

An unexpected thought crossed his mind. It left him giddy yet incredibly sad. But what choice did he have? He would sooner do it than face anyone. He couldn't control himself any more, that much was apparent. It would be better for everyone. If he were gone, then nobody else would have to suffer. _He_ wouldn't have to suffer. It was perfect.

Steven took a deep breath and with a hollow smile, stood up. His legs protested immensely, but he didn't have to worry long about it. Soon it would be over. He looked over the edge of the small floating island. It was a long way down. The teenager had no idea if it would kill him. But it was worth a shot, right?

“Goodbye, everyone. I'm sorry.”

He stepped out into the open air.


	2. Chapter 2

The Sun Incinerator hummed as it zoomed past planets and asteroids. Lars sat comfortably in his seat, overlooking his crew. Every so often, he asked for a status report, but nothing seemed amiss. The Off Colours were hard at work, which filled him with a sense of warmth. He still catalogued their journey through voice recording in case something happened, or one wanted to listen to what they'd been up to lately.

Nothing much had happened since they left Earth. Well, they ran into two gems that hated Steven more than anything, but they hadn't been a huge deal. They had thought to overpower them with intimidation, which hadn't worked their way at all. Lars was no longer the snivelling teenager that he used to be before his unexpected death and resurrection.

They had also explored two plants so far. The first had been peaceful. So full of life and lovely scenery. The second had filled them with dread. Despite the peace between Homeworld, the Earth and most of space, some gems persisted that it was nothing but a trick. Lars had tried to convince them otherwise, but it hadn't helped much. Still, he had attempted, and that's what mattered.

“Captain Lars,” said one of the Rutile twins' heads. “We are approaching another planet. Permission to land?” asked the other one.

“Does it look friendly?”

“It seems to be in acceptable conditions.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!”

Lars couldn't help but smile as his crew got busy. It was always a pleasure to watch them work. He glanced over at the wall as a thought occurred to him. It had been quite a while since he'd seen or even heard from Steven. In space, it was hard to tell the time. He kind of missed him. Ah, screw it! He missed him a lot.

The last time he'd seen the other teenager, he hadn't looked so good. He had known something was up—not counting the incident where he, the Off Colours, and a few other people almost got crushed. No, he felt that something else was amiss. But he hadn't thought it right to ask Steven at the time. Maybe he should have? A little too late for regrets now though.

_'Ah well,'_ he thought and leaned back into his seat. _'I'm sure that Steven is fine by now. After all, he's a tough one.'_

Lars closed his eyes. Even though he technically didn't need to sleep any more, it didn't hurt to rest a bit regardless. Besides, it would take some time before they landed anyway.

“ _No!”_

The space pirate's eyelids flew open. He looked over the ship and the Off Colours, but saw nothing amiss.

_'That's strange. I could have sworn I heard–'_

“ _It's okay– I can fix it!”_

There it was again. A voice. A very familiar one at that.

“ _No... No!”_

Strange, it sounded like Steven. Except, he wasn't around. Lars looked around the ship a second time to make sure. He even felt the top of his hair. Nope. Nothing out of the ordinary. So, where was it coming from? His head? Was Steven asleep and in his head again? He shuddered at the thought. He did _not_ want a repeat of last time.

“ _I need to get back. It's the only way. I need to fix this. I_ need _to.”_

If the other teenager indeed was asleep, then he must be having a nightmare. Except, something within Lars told him that was not the case. He didn't know why, but the emotions that he heard in Steven's voice seemed too raw. Too real. It scared him.

“ _Please work! Please!”_

Distraught by the tone of voice, Lars stood up. The Off Colours didn't seem to notice at first until Padparadscha announced it.

“Oh! I just had the most interesting vision. Captain Lars will stand up with a look of concern on his face.”

The Rutile twins and Rhodonite turned around to look at him.

“Is something wrong, Captain?” asked the fusion. “Are we under attack?!”

“No! No, we're fine. I'm just–“

“ _I need to get out of here.”_

“I think that I can hear Steven.”

“Hear Steven?” said one of the Rutile twins just as the other asked, “What do you mean?”

“I can hear his thoughts in my head, I think. I don't know. It's really weird, and is starting to freak me out.”

“Do you want to redirect the course for Earth?”

He shook his head. “Even if we do, I don't think it will matter. He'll be fine in time... I hope.”

“Lars can hear Steven in his head? How fascinating!”

Lars and the other two gems chuckled at Padparadscha's delayed fortune. It never failed to lighten up the mood. Soon, they returned to their posts and him to his rightful seat in the centre of it all.

He had said that things would be okay in a matter of time, but a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him otherwise. He ignored it for the next few minutes, or was it hours? Again, time was difficult in space.

“ _What do I do now?”_

Lars nearly cursed. He had thought it to be over by now. Resigned to his fate, he turned into the thoughts for a moment. Things didn't get better as questions that only caused him confusion filled him. Mentions of the gems, Connie, and Greg popped up. Nothing suggested anything positive, though. Not a single thing.

Everything that Steven was thinking about turned negative one way or the other. Is this what the other teenager had been going through? This feeling of utter hopelessness? Lars' heart went out to him. He knew exactly how it felt. Hell, he'd been there. It took him _literally_ dying to stop caring about everything. Well, maybe not only that. The past two years on Earth had also helped him immensely too.

“ _I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm_ so _sorry...”_

Jasper? That name sounded familiar. Oh wait, now he remembered. Steven had come by his shop to talk about a specific gem that still hadn't taken well to the peace between Homeworld and Earth. The other teenager had shown apparent frustration over her behaviour.

Lars—ever so helpful—hadn't known what to say. All he could do was offer his ear and support. Comforting people wasn't really in his territory. It was more Steven's thing. And yet, now he kind of regrets not saying anything. He could have at least tried. It wouldn't have hurt.

“ _Maybe I should just die.”_

A chill went down his spine at the thought that ran through his head. It took him a moment to realize that it hadn't been him to think it in the first place. He'd had those thoughts himself, but they had more or less gone away after the whole incident on Homeworld. But that would mean–

“No, Steven. Don't.”

Lars stood back up and took a few steps to the right. His hands shook as his worry spiked. The thoughts kept on getting darker. He saw the Rutile twins and Rhodonite glance at him in the corner of his eye.

“Steven. Please...”

The next thoughts made his blood run cold. It felt like his already slow heartbeat stopped at the finality in the other teenager's voice.

“STEVEN!”

Lars surprised everyone—even himself—with the amount of power he used in that one shout. He had done it literally too as a pink portal, not unlike the ones Lion creates appeared before him. He took a couple of seconds to stare but knew that he couldn't delay too long. Time was already running out.

“Guys,” he said and turned around to the Off Colours that were staring at him with wide eyes. “Hold down the fort for me while I'm gone, okay?”

He didn't wait for a response as he sprinted, barely hearing as Padparadscha told another fortune.

…

Lars emerged on the other side of the portal, feeling exhausted. He couldn't stop to rest though, as he watched in horror as Steven stepped out into the open air. He launched himself forward and grabbed hold of the other teenager. Thankfully, he made it on time. However, the awkward angle still made things difficult.

“Steven! It would be _awesome_ if you could help me a bit. You're not exactly light.”

Lars received no response. Okay, that wasn't concerning _at all_. Nope. Not a bit.

_'Okay.'_ He thought as he took a breath. _'Okay. I can do this.'_

He gave it a moment before he used all of his strength to pull the other teenager up. It felt like his shoulder was going to dislocate for the better part but eventually managed to get them both to safety. Lars breathed out a huge sigh of relief. He turned around in the next moment to check on Steven. He was breathing but unconscious.

The ease that he felt from the knowledge that he'd done it made him almost faint. It wasn't over though. Not by a long shot. He glanced over at Steven's relatively peaceful and tear-stained face. Lars took off his cape and folded it into a pillow of sorts before he put it underneath the other teenager's head. Next, he sat down next to Steven to rest and keep an eye on him.

“When you wake up, you're going to tell me _everything_.”


	3. Chapter 3

Steven heard the rush of the wind and then nothing. Everything was black. Did he die? Was it over? Was he finally free? As if to test it, he tried to open his eyes or move his body. Nothing. Huh. Guess he did it then. Strange, he didn't feel happy about the fact. He felt kind of disappointed. Or did he? The teenager didn't know. Everything seemed muted. His feelings muddled and thoughts even more so.

One thing that didn't change was the blackness that surrounded him. It seemed void of anything and yet Steven didn't feel bored by the prospect. He kind of liked it. In this place, there seemed no worries. No responsibilities for him to carry on his shoulders. No one to force him to answer questions he'd rather avoid. It felt nice. And yet, something felt off him about it.

Something he couldn't quite describe. It felt like dreaming and yet not. Usually, his sleep was filled with images of stuff. His sleep tended to be full of images: either pleasant memories or horrible ones. Sometimes even a mixture of both. What had he been doing? Why was he here?

“You!”

Steven turned around at the voice and promptly froze. Jasper stood in front of him with a nasty glare. The look of rage frightened him, but what made it worse was the gem on her face. It had a crack.

“You shattered me.”

“I– I didn't mean to!” He backed up a few steps, hands raised in defence. “I'm sorry, Jasper.”

“How could I lose?” The gem turned around and looked to the ground. “You were nothing before, and then all of a sudden you had all that power.” Orange eyes stared back at him. “How? How did you come across it?”

“I don't know! It just happened. I never wanted it in the first place.”

“Why?” She threw him a look of confusion. “The power you have is more than I could ever dream of. I strived to be the best, and yet I was unable to stand up to you. To your immense strength.”

“I– I didn't want to.”

“Come on,” said Jasper with a grin. “Just admit that you liked it already. All that power made you feel good, right? It made you feel useful instead of useless.”

“No–“

“And who can really blame you? It was quite the show, I'll say. You went from a snivelling weakling to a powerful being in a matter of moments.”

“I–“

“I'm impressed more than anything for you being able to take me down so easily. You really are different from Pink or Rose. Neither had the heart to shatter another gem.”

“No! Stop!” Steven crumbled to the ground as tears fell from his eyes. “I don't want to hear any more.”

Jasper didn't respond.

For a moment, the teenager wondered if she had left. He raised his head to check. No, she still stood in front of him. The expression on her face had changed, showing one of disappointment. His breath stuttered as he tried to speak. Nothing came out. Somewhere in his throat, the words were stuck. All he could do was watch as the gem eventually split apart and became nothing but a swarm of white butterflies.

Steven jumped back at the flutter. He needed to get away before they went after him. He stood up and ran in the opposite direction. All of a sudden, the landscape of darkness shifted. The rest of the Crystal Gems stood in front of him. Fear and disgust shone in their eyes.

“What have you done, Steven?”

“Unbelievable.”

“I'm disappointed in you.”

“You shattered a gem!”

“How could you do such a thing?”

“What is wrong with you?”

“No.” The teenager shook his head and took a step back. “I– I'm sorry. I– I didn't mean to. It was an– an accident.”

“You really are like Rose.”

“Destruction and death follow you wherever you go.”

“You're no different.”

“A failure just like her.”

“Nothing but an immature child.”

“We shouldn't have trusted you.”

“Stop!” Steven turned around to run but stopped as the swarm of white butterflies came towards him with no mercy. _'No, no, no.'_ He tried to shake them off, but the memories were insistent. He couldn't do anything as he watched every bad thing that had happened in his life flash before his eyes.

The teenager couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He was useless. Even in death, he couldn't escape everything. There was nothing he could do.

_'I'm such a pathetic, sad sack.'_

“ _Steven!”_

Steven's eyelids flew open at the voice. “Who's there?” He looked around but saw nothing. Not even the butterflies or gems were around. Maybe he'd only imagined it? It wouldn't surprise him. Madness didn't seem too far off from his already crumbling mentality.

“ _Wake up!”_

Never mind.

The teenager stood up and looked around. The thick darkness didn't change, but he knew now that something was there, or someone. He took a few steps forward and listened intently for the voice again.

“ _Come on!”_

There! He took off into a sprint in the direction he'd heard the voice. Soon, he saw a light in the distance. It shone brighter the closer he got to it until all he saw was white.

…

Steven opened his eyes to a blue sky. His body felt heavy, and head hurt like crazy. Where was he? What happened? He attempted to sit up, but a hand on his chest stopped him.

“Whoa there! Take it easy, dude.”

The teenager glanced to the side, his eyes landing on a familiar pink face.

“Lars?”

“Glad to see you're finally awake. That must have been one hell of a nightmare, huh?”

Steven felt lost for a moment. His eyebrows drew together into a frown as he tried to remember what happened. He didn't need much prompting as the memories washed over him. Had he– Had he attempted to just–?

The teenager couldn't complete the thought. Not only had he shattered a gem, but he had also tried to take his own life because of it. He didn't know what to feel worse about. One thing occurred to him though, as he looked back at Lars.

“How are you here? Didn't you leave Earth?”

“That's a good question,” said the space pirate as he scratched the back of his head. “I don't really know why or how, but I started to hear your thoughts in my head. When I knew that you might be in danger, I guess that I unlocked the power to create those portals that Lion does?”

Steven blinked. It all sounded surreal. At the same time, it wouldn't surprise him if that was the case. Wait a minute. Hadn't he said thoughts?

“You– Did– Did you hear–?”

“Yeah,” said Lars with a sigh. “Sorry, Steven, but I heard everything.”

His blood ran cold. He scrambled to sit up and backed away from the space pirate.

“Steven, it's okay.”

“Don't– Don't lie to me. Nothing is okay. Nothing will ever be okay any more. I– I've messed up badly. I– I can't– I can't–“

Steven's vision swam as more tears built up in his eyes. His body trembled. It was difficult to breathe. What should he do? What–?

“Steven. Look at me.”

He couldn't. Lars _knew_. He knew everything. How– How could the space pirate even stand to look at him? All of a sudden, there were hands on his shoulders. He looked up and into Lars' eyes despite the dread that filled him.

“Come on. Breathe.”

The words sounded distant, even though Lars sat right in front of him. Despite the pain in his chest along with the worry, he listened. The space pirate helped until he had his breathing under control. His body still shook, but it wasn't as bad as before.

“I– I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, dude. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Steven let out a hollow laugh. “If only that were true.”

“I don't mean to pry, but what is going on with you?”

“I thought you knew?”

“I heard what you were about to do, but I don't know what led you there. So, what happened? Tell me. Please?”

“I can't. I'm afraid that you'll hate me.”

“To be honest, I don't think that I can hate you even if I tried.” He let out a sigh. “Please, Steven. I can't help unless I know what's wrong.”

“I don't need–“

“Don't even try to give me that crap!”

The teenager startled at the volume of the space pirate's voice. He avoided his gaze and instead looked down at his hands.

“Sorry. I'm just really on edge right now.” He paused. “Do you remember the time when you gave yourself up to save everyone else?”

Steven nodded.

“You told me that it was okay to be scared and that helped me more than you'll ever know. Let me help you this time.”

“You don't have to.”

“I know, but I want to.”

The teenager couldn't believe it. Even after everything that he's done, someone still wanted to hear him out? Someone still wanted to help him? He couldn't believe it. And yet, when he lifted his eyes to look at Lars, he knew that he'd be fine. He took a deep, shuddering breath and told him everything.


	4. Chapter 4

Lars didn't know what to think or how to feel. In all his nineteen years of living, he was for the first time truly stumped. The cool breeze wafted through the air as the sun went down on the horizon. The things that Steven had explained caught him entirely off guard. The other teenager had _shattered_ a gem.

The thought of Steven doing anything like that was unheard of. He wasn't the type to do something so despicable. He helped people. He was a saviour, a _hero_. Sure, he had the means to do some terrible things probably. But it wasn't in his nature to do so. And yet, from the reactions that the other teenager had given, it was the truth.

Lars looked over at Steven, who had his eyes downcast. He hadn't moved from his position since the panic attack. The space pirate didn't blame him, though. He had a pretty solid idea on how the other teenager felt at the moment. Guilty and ashamed beyond belief.

Not for the first time, he wished that he knew what to say or do when someone felt terrible. If it were Sadie, he would know what to do. He had more than enough experience in comforting her. Hey, maybe that wasn't a too bad idea? He glanced back at the other teenager who still wore the same miserable expression.

_'Well, here goes nothing.'_

Lars didn't say a word as he scooted closer to Steven until they were practically touching. He waited for a reaction at their sudden closeness but received none. He took that as his cue and wrapped an arm around the other teenager's shoulders. There was the feeling of tension for a moment until it gave away, and he heard a sigh of relief.

They sat there for the next several minutes in silence. Lars felt the initial awkwardness from the side hug fade away. He wasn't the touchy-feely type, but it felt sort of nice to be close to someone in this way. If only every once in a while.

“What do I do now?”

The space pirate startled at the question. Damn, this kid was going to be the death of him. He thought about an answer but found his mind blank. After all, who was he to tell Steven anything? And yet, he knew that he had to say something. He owed the other teenager that much.

“I don't know,” he said. “It's not every day that you get told by one of your friends that they– Ah, committed a crime.” Is there even a crime for shattering? He might have to ask the gems about that. “So I can't help you there. But I can ask what you want to do?”

“I– I don't know.”

“Do you want to see your dad? Go back home? Talk to the gems? See Connie?”

“No– No, I don't want to see anyone right now.” He shook his head. “But I do kind of want to go home...”

“Okay,” said Lars and stood up. “Then let's go.”

“Wait!”

The space pirate stopped and looked down at the other teenager. He looked afraid, which spiked his concern. “What's wrong, Steven?”

“The– The gems could be there. I– I'm afraid of what they might ask. I kind of broke the bathroom and everything. They probably have a lot of questions.”

“Do you want to answer any of them?”

“No?”

“Then don't.”

“But–“

“No more buts. If they have any questions or concerns, then they'll have to go through me first.” Lars pointed at his chest and grinned. “I'll protect you from any unwanted attention!”

Surprisingly, the other teenager cracked a smile. “I don't deserve you, Lars.”

“Funny, I could say the same thing about you.” He didn't wait for a response as he stretched out his hand for the taking. “Now let's go.”

It took some time for them to get down from the floating island. Steven's exhaustion had left his powers wonky, so he had some difficulty keeping up with him. Lars didn't mind it much as he wanted to keep as close as possible.

When they arrived at the warp pad, the other teenage showed a great deal of hesitation. The space pirate reached for his hand and promised to keep the gems at a distance. If worst-case scenario came, then he hoped to be able to activate that portal thing again. His words seemed to have the desired effect as the two stepped onto the platform together.

A bright light surrounded them as the beautiful scenery of the giant field of strawberries disappeared, and they instead stood inside the Beach House. At first glance, it looked empty. The lights were off, and everything was silent. Perfect.

They quickly but quietly made their way up the stairs and into Steven's room. He led the other teenager to the bed where he promptly collapsed. Not knowing what to do, Lars opted to look around the place. It had been quite a while since his last visit, but things didn't look any different. That was probably more a good thing than a bad one.

His musings were interrupted by a low but loud growling noise. He glanced over at Steven whose face was flushed red. “Wow. That sure was something. When is the last time you ate?”

“Uh, yesterday morning?”

“Yesterday morning?!” The space pirate was in shock. “Jeez, no wonder you're feeling weak. Hold on, I'll head downstairs and see if I can't whip something up.”

“You– You really don't need to, Lars. I– I'll be fine.”

“Nope. I completely refuse that reasoning. Just let me take care of you for once, okay?” The other teenager didn't look convinced. He took a deep breath. “Alright. Look at it this way, it'll make me feel better if I do this.”

“Okay.”

“Great! I'll be right back.”

Lars turned around and headed back down. The lights were still off, so he went ahead to turn a few on as he strolled over to the fridge. As expected, he didn't find much: only a few eggs, some milk, and butter. However, it was enough to make something. He took some time to look for the necessary items to prepare an omelette before he got to work.

It took approximately ten minutes until he finished. The dish looked simple yet inviting. The space pirate smiled to himself as he grabbed a glass and filled it up with water. Next, he grabbed a fork and the plate as he made his way back up the stairs.

Steven sat in his bed with the covers pulled up to his lap. He had also discarded his jacket that hung over the back of a chair. To Lars, he looked ten times better already. He approached the other teenager with a smile on his face.

They didn't exchange any words as he handed the plate and glass. He watched Steven until he took bites of the dish. Feeling accomplished, Lars left once more to take care of the dishes.

The motions of washing was therapeutic, a nice normal in the middle of the chaos. It put his mind at ease so much so that he hummed. The tune sounded familiar and yet not. It had a cheery note to it though, which he appreciated now more than ever.

The sound of the front door slamming open startled him out of his thoughts. It was more a miracle than a skill that he managed not to smash something. The space pirate put down the glass and turned around. Garnet stood in the entryway. Oh, boy.

“Where's Steven?”

Not wanting to lie, Lars took a deep breath and said, “He's upstairs. Wait!” he added when the gem moved towards the stairs. Thankfully, she halted in her step. “He's fine, but doesn't want to see anyone right now.”

“Why not?”

“It's complicated.”

“How complicated?”

“Very.”

“Alright.”

The space pirate almost sagged on the counter in relief. He'd thought it would take much more to convince Garnet. Then again, she was probably the easier of the three gems to talk to, especially where it concerned Steven. He shuddered to think what would have happened if either Pearl or Amethyst had been the ones to appear.

“Didn't you leave the Earth?”

He scratched the back of his head and rounded the kitchen counter. “Uh, yeah?”

“How come you're still here then?”

Lars took a deep breath and told the gem what had happened without revealing too much. She did not need to know about the fact that he had heard Steven's thoughts in his head or what they entailed. That wasn't for him to tell in the first place.

She looked thoughtful—or, at least that's what he thought—until she turned towards the stairs. She didn't make a move, but she had her head tilted upwards as if gazing into Steven's room.

“You're sure he's alright?”

“I just got him some food, so he should be okay now.” Not counting for his emotional or mental state, but again, she did not need to know that. “I'll just head up and see for myself, alright?”

The space pirate approached the steps, but before he managed to climb them all, Garnet called for his name. He turned back to look at her. “What is it?”

“I don't know what happened, or what this danger you spoke of was, but I am grateful that you were there in time to protect him nonetheless.”

Lars' eyes widened at the gem's speech. He didn't have time to respond as she strolled over to the Temple Gate and disappeared behind it. Well, that was certainly something. He shook his head and climbed the rest of the steps.

When he walked back into the bedroom, Steven was nowhere. At least, not the sight of him. However, the lump of something under the covers more or less told the space pirate where he had gone. He approached the bed and sat down on the edge of it.

“Garnet knows that you're here.” Lars waited a moment for a response, but when he received none he continued. “I told her that you didn't want to see anyone right now. She believed me.”

The covers moved, and he watched as the other teenager sat up. The expression on his face showed fear. “Did– Was she mad?”

He shook his head. “No. She seemed more worried.”

Steven sighed in relief. “That– That's good.” It didn't last for long as his eyes got that same haunted look in them. “But for how long will she–?”

“Hey,” said Lars to catch his attention. “Don't worry about stuff like that now. Just focus on getting better, yeah? One step at a time.”

The other teenager smiled. “Yeah, okay.” He paused and met his eyes. “I'm glad that you're here, Lars.”

“Me too, buddy,” he said with a grin. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes the end of this story. Thank you so much for reading this! It was a lot of fun writing it. I have already started on another Steven Universe fanfic called Solace, so keep your eyes peeled for that one. Have a good day!


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